For its sophomore album, UK indie rock quintet Wet Leg ventures into new territory: love songs. That’s not to say the band known for snarky lines like “what makes you think you’re good enough to think about me when you’re touching yourself” has gone all soft and sappy. The Isle of Wight rockers are as flippant and raunchy as ever, but on Moisturizer, the band explores all sides of relationships, from emotional intimacy to lust and anger. Accompanying the love songs written by all five band members is a mix of melodic soft rock with edgier moments.
“Is this love or suicide?” Rhian Teasdale repeats over a bouncing bassline in “CPR.” In the first chorus, the song shifts from a grooving dance track to a loud rock number with a cacophony of distorted guitars and ambient effects. “Oh, I’m in love and you’re to blame” comes her answer in the outro. It’s an admission of love, but not exactly a celebration.
On “Catch These Fists,” Teasdale rails against hookup culture and unleashes her fury on guys who try to pick her up when she’s out for a good time. “I know all too well what you’re like. I don’t want your love, I just want to fight,” Teasdale sings. She responds to their advances with a number of insults, like “I just threw up in my mouth when he tried to ask me out” and “he don’t get puss; he gets the boot.”
The music’s scathing tone matches the ruthless clapbacks. Hester Chambers’s jangly lead licks clash with Teasdale’s grimy guitar to create tension that comes from combining beauty and ugliness. It’s the jarring incongruence of getting the middle finger when you wanted a phone number. That same vitriol can be found in songs like “Mangetout,” where Teasdale teases and dismisses someone who’s wronged her. “You think I’m pretty? You think I’m pretty cool?” she asks. “Nice try. Now get out of the way.”
The scorching rocker “Pillow Talk” channels garage punk and Sonic Youth-style noise, all discordant snarling guitars, in its depictions of a horny love-hate relationship. “Liquidize” is an introspective look at the confusion of sifting through various competing emotions when in love. “Love struck me down. The fuck am I doing with you?” Teasdale sings over an upbeat acoustic rhythm. “You must have me hypnotized to fall in love with you tonight.”
Even when Teasdale is affectionate, she uses humor to create distance, as if she’s uncomfortable being too serious. The song “Davina McCall” references the host of the British reality TV show Stranded on Honeymoon Island. “Never will I leave you stranded on an island. You know I would hold you tighter than a python. It’s that kind of love.”\
Moisturizer deftly balances incongruent elements, from the combinations of infectious melodies, bouncing pop, and aggressive rock to the love songs made up of brooding, anger, joy, and confusion. Teasdale’s vocals vascilate between a pleasant croon and a monotone, almost-spoken drawl. Lyrically, even in the gentler moments, there are always barbs beneath the surface. It’s an album that balances intense aggression with sing-along melodies and introspection with detached cynicism. And those delicate balancing acts serve as a worthy step forward from Wet Leg’s excellent 2022 debut.
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